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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621530">Jägerfriend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Han502653/pseuds/Han502653'>Han502653</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Walking with Jäger [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Girl Genius (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Blood, Gen, I love Olga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:29:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,221</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621530</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Han502653/pseuds/Han502653</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just before they leave Mechanicsburg half the circus comes down with the flu forcing them to stick around for awhile. Having escaped that, Zeetha is bored and goes poking around the nearby woods. There she finds a bear. On the bear is a Jager.</p><p>Neither of them are okay.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mamma Gkika &amp; Zeetha Daughter of Chump, Olga &amp; Zeetha Daughter of Chump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Walking with Jäger [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700314</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Jägerfriend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>While an Early meeting could be canon complacent, this one only could be considered canon is the broadest of strokes (and the third isn't at all) Just as an FYI.</p><p>I know it's been forever since I wrote for this fandom, but I just caught up again, and reread a bunch of my WIP and I got inspired.</p><p>I'll add the third part of the series soon.</p><p>I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Normally a bloody bear stomping through the bushes wouldn’t cause Zeetha to freeze. It was odd sure— the blood and honestly it was far more common to find clanks and mutated monstrosities in the wild than a basic, albeit large, bear. Still it was an easy enough kill if necessary—only if necessary, no point killing a creature that already had it tough.</p><p>Except, well, normally the blood (or most of it, Zeetha could see a few arrow staffs poking out from the fur) didn’t come from a seated figure just barely hanging on to his shredded saddle—formally seated that was because as Zeetha watched the figure listed heavily to one side as the bear stumbled down a small lip and then tumbled off.</p><p>She would have been worried they were dead if not for the low, startled shout the figure made as they hit the ground. The bear made a low whine and nuzzled the body as the figure failed to react otherwise.</p><p>Zeetha sheathed her swords and approached slowly, suspecting the bear wouldn’t be all that friendly. He looked up—Zeetha wasn’t trying to hide her approach—and Zeetha averted her eyes slightly and showed her hands—like she would do to a wounded and protective War Klasu and his rider.</p><p>Somewhat surprisingly the bear seemed to understand, as while he did shift a little in front of his mistress and watched Zeetha warily as she approached, he allowed it. Smart, Zeetha realized with some relief.</p><p>The bear looked down and Zeetha stopped momentarily as the figure finally shifted, one arm reaching up to grab some of his fur. “Need to get to Mamma’s,” Zeetha heard her say just at the edge of her hearing. She tried to pull herself up and failed with a grunt. From here Zeetha could easily see the patches of blood on her dark purple clothing in the noon sun, especially on her one leg which was drenched. Her white hair was half stained pink, spilling out around her head, her hat having flopped over on her fall.</p><p>“Here,” Zeetha finished her approach. “Let me help.” She crouched and reached out only to yelp slightly as she dodged a sudden knife. Zeetha pulled her arm back and eyed the woman in a new light—despite barely being able to move earlier she had twisted herself around in a flash—if she hadn’t been so injured that knife would have been much harder to dodge.</p><p>“Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you,” she said instead, meeting the huffing woman’s eyes. A scarf covered her mouth and nose—which couldn’t be helping her catch her breath.</p><p>“Vat—” She took another deep breath. “What are hyu doing?” she snapped.</p><p>Zeetha blinked. “Helping you? I have some bandages on me—” Zeetha eyed the blood and glimpse of managed flesh she could see on her person and then glanced up to the stain left on the bear. She was more than a little impressed she was conscious, heck <em>alive</em>. More of it must have been the bears than she had thought. Poor bear. “You’re pretty messed up, I have some sutures to—I could probably do some temporary work just so you don’t bleed out before—”</p><p>“No!” she snapped again as Zeetha reached for the bag she hung from her belt, this time sounding almost panicked. The knife swung much faster this time and Zeetha winced as her dodge still left her a thin slice on her arm. The bear above growled warningly. “You can’t—” She coughed. “Von’t let hyu.”</p><p>“Fine.” Zeetha decided after a split second. “Will you at least take the bandages, if not you’re going to bleed out. How the heck haven’t you already?”</p><p>She didn’t respond right away, just glared, holding the knife threateningly. Zeetha glared back stern and after a moment she deflated, glanced down at herself, and slumped. “Fine,” she hissed and grudgingly allowed Zeetha to pull put a roll of gauze, and even more grudgingly accepted her help in wrapping it around her chest, where a nasty wound still sluggishly bled.</p><p>She was not normal Zeetha decided. No one normal would still be alive, if fading fast. Not with the wound on her chest, her shredded leg, all the blood she had lost and still fighting all the same.</p><p>Her arm stung. Definitely not normal.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>Zeetha blinked and glanced up as she tied off the gauze and pulled out her second. “Huh,” she asked, distracted as she debated which injury her second and last bandage should be used on. Her leg. It would have to be her leg. She probably should also use her belt as a tourniquet too really. She began sliding it off.</p><p>“Why are you helpink me?”</p><p>Zeetha froze and then frowned at her. “I mean… I generally don’t just leave people to bleed out in forests if I can help it?”</p><p>She only blinked back up, looking confused. Zeetha put that up to blood loss and got back to work. She finished in silence.</p><p>“Alright, that should keep you alive,” Zeetha declared as she sat back on her knees. “There’s a hospital in the town over the hill, I could—”</p><p>“No hospital.” She demanded, voice strained. “Hyu’ev helped, you can go—” She tried to stand then, grabbing onto the bear for support. She managed up until she tried to put her bad leg to the ground. She fell over onto the bear and he whined. “Hy’ll be fine,” she slurred.</p><p>Zeetha ignored her. It was almost like she didn’t want to be saved. No sutures. No hospital. She could take her to the wagons, the Countess could probably stabilize her if nothing else—if she would let her, but they were dealing with half the caravan being sick. So there wasn’t any other options but the hos—</p><p>Except… something about her—grey skin and white hair, the accent that kept slipping through despite her best effort—the girls at Mamma’s bar flashed in her mind even if she was far less in-your-face with it then they were. Zeetha could feel this dangerous feeling about her—she was far more real than they had been. She had said something about needing to get to Mamma—and Mamma had mentioned treating people even if some glass in a hand and a shredded body was rather different—</p><p>—Maybe it really <em>was</em> all her blood.</p><p>“Okay…no hospital,” Zeetha declared standing. “And the only Mamma I know is Mamma’s Gkika—is that who you need?”</p><p>The woman stumbled a bit and blinked up at her. After a long moment she nodded, warily but Zeetha could tell she was rather quickly shutting down. Even with bandages—both of which were already stained red, they didn’t have much time. “Hyu know her?”</p><p>“Kinda—I can get you to her bar anyway—I don’t think you’d last if I ran to get her and there is no way you can make it on your own with that leg.”</p><p>She considered it for a very long minute but finally, after nearly stumbling back to the ground as her grip weakened to the point she couldn’t hold herself up, she conceded.</p><p>“Fine, but only until dere.” She stumbled again. “Und grab my hat.”</p><p> </p><p>They left the bear, Fust apparently, behind. Jenka mumbled something about: “not being seen,” and “can’t gets caught,” and a blood stained, arrow holding bear wouldn’t help with that Zeetha understood.</p><p>Probably more than Jenka suspected. After that night at the bar, with some curiosity, Zeetha had asked Olga what she knew about the Jäger. Nothing much really: Heterodyne constructs, monster soldier army, super strong and crazy, loved hats, ect. But she <em>had</em> mentioned how they had been barred from returning to Mechanicsburg when they joined the Empire, and only could if a Heterodyne was found—something Olga thought was unlikely at best—</p><p>Zeetha understood where Mamma’s words had come from now.</p><p>So Zeetha had grabbed a cloak from off the supplies on Fust, covered Jenka who was quickly slipping out of it, and with her on her back sped off towards the city’s walls.</p><p>They had made it through the gate easily enough—the watchman had pointed out directions to the hospital in a rote, bored voice when he had noticed them, and Zeetha had nodded and smiled grimly at him only to duck into an alleyway as soon as she was out of sight.</p><p>It was a bit of a walk from the gate to Mamma’s but Zeetha did her best to stay away from crowds, and especially the small Empire guard patrols. From what she could tell she had done a good job. Nobody paid them a second look.</p><p>It was still early, almost one Zeetha guessed from the sun, so the bar wasn’t yet open when she arrived. Ignoring the closed sign, and glancing suspiciously around the crowded street, Zeetha knocked as obnoxiously loud and frantic as she could. The longer they were on the street the more likely they would gain attention—but she had no idea where the other entrances were. She figured there had to have been others, before passing out Jenka had even muttered what Zeetha could only get was partial instructions to one—accept she passed out before they could become useful, and even before that Zeetha was pretty sure Jenka thought she knew more than she did as Zeetha hadn’t even been able to make out what the first instruction meant. So she didn’t have much choice.</p><p>On her third set on knocks the door was pulled roughly open, and a half set up faux Jägergirl appeared in its place. Her face painted in a painfully faux smile that pretended to mask her annoyance. “We’re closed, we don’t open until five, come back then—” She paused as she looked up and caught sight of the body slung over Zeetha’s shoulders.</p><p>“I think you’re missing one of your girls,” Zeetha urged when she didn’t react for a long moment. She snapped out of it then and pulled her in, slamming the door behind her.</p><p>“Jewel,” she snapped to a girl eating at the empty bar who flinched, crumbs flying everywhere. “Get Mamma, we have an emergency!” The girl jumped up and fled down the stairs that Zeetha knew led to the basement.</p><p>The one who had opened the door turned and stared at her for a long moment before making a decision. “Follow me,” The woman ordered and Zeetha followed her down the same set of stairs. Jewel was nowhere to be seen, and she was led, to Zeetha’s surprise, to the same section of the basement she had holed up in two nights ago. In fact they passed right past that row of barrels, and two more, before the Faux Jagergirl turned into a row and marched straight to the wall. In the gloom and with her body obscuring most of it, Zeetha wasn’t sure what she did, but the wall pulled in on itself, opening into a secret room.</p><p>“Put her on the bed,” she demanded. Zeetha followed her in and found a small infirmary, several beds and the strong smell of medical alcohol—easily disguised through thick stone walls covered in wine barrels. Zeetha put down the Jäger onto the closest bed and backed away as she watched the Faux Jagergirl pull supplies from various cabinets and shelves.</p><p>“Go wait outside; you’ll just be in the way.”</p><p>There was truth to that, and not knowing what else to do Zeetha obeyed, stepping back out into the basement—and with continued awkwardness, eventually returned to her place from the night before last and sat down.</p><p>Not more than a couple moments later Mamma, followed by three more of her girls, passed by. Zeetha watched them go—they didn’t react to her presence, secluded in the dark as she was and as focused as they were (thought Zeetha doubted Mamma hadn’t noticed her.)</p><p>She waited. She could have left. Probably. Well… maybe not. Not cleanly anyway. She would be hunted down if she managed, she was almost certain. She had a pretty sure feeling that people, Mamma especially, was going to want to talk to her. She was a security risk now. She wondered how strong someone like Mamma was if it ended up like that… she didn’t think it would… hoped it wouldn’t at least but she knew how important some secrets were. How protective people had to be of them. It was always a possibility; she had learned that reality young.</p><p>Jäger were terrifying in the stories she had heard, small and abbreviated as they were—the question was how true to life were they. Normally she would expect exaggeration; especially considering most of what she knew came from a horde of over dramatic storytellers and actors. But she had sensed how dangerous Mamma was, and the Jäger girl had nearly cut her arm off an hour before bleeding to death. For once the stories may have been accurate, or at least that facet of them.</p><p>It would be one heck of a fight at best, and that was if Mamma was the only upright Jäger around, and Zeetha somehow doubted that. A focus on escape would be more intelligent as she had no beef with them and no interest in returning to the area if it came to that but even then… would they follow her. If so she wouldn’t be able to return to the Circus. She couldn’t do that to them.</p><p>Sighing Zeetha leaned back against the barrel only to wince and straighten, the dried blood on the back of her shirt rubbing the wrong way. Frustrated, and more than a little over-alert she leaned forward and rested her head on one hand and waited.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”</p><p>“I didn’t either,” Zeetha replied without opening her eyes and hour or so later. “Is she alive?”</p><p>“She iz, tanks to hyu.”</p><p>Zeetha opened her eyes and glanced over to find Mamma staring down at her, face unreadable.</p><p>“I’m not going to tell anyone,” she said bluntly, no point in dragging it out. Mamma raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Vat do hyu tink hyu haf to tell?” she asked.</p><p>Zeetha debated for a short moment, she could lie, but she figured Mamma would know. Better to just be truthful then to dig herself into a hole. “You’re a Jäger, she’s a Jäger, there may be other Jäger around and neither of you are supposed to be in the city.”</p><p>She cocked her head. “Hyu figured mes out did hyu?”</p><p>Zeetha shrugged. “To be honest, I knew instantly. The Jäger girls upstairs, their makeup is good—but not as good as Organza, and you would of either been the best makeup artist I’ve ever seen, or real. Don’t care though.”</p><p>“Zo hyu are not goink to go und tattle to de Empire den?”</p><p>“Why would I give a crap about the Empire,” Zeetha asked bemused. Mamma stared at her for a long moment, took a deep breath through her nose, considered for a moment longer, and then relaxed slightly with a shrug.</p><p>“Fair enough.” She retook her seat from the other night. “Vat happened?”</p><p>“A bunch of people got sick in the Circus so we are stuck here for a few weeks, I got bored headed out to explore the neighboring woods,” Zeetha started with, leaning back and making a face as her back scratched. “Ran into her just as she took a tumble off her bear—” Her eyes went wide. “Ah, her bear, he’s still hurt out there, to the west of town, in the mountains—”</p><p>“Hy’ll gets sumvun to looks after him,” Mamma reassured. “Fust is a tough bear, he’ll be olright until den.”</p><p>Zeetha grimaced but accepted that. “Well she wouldn’t take sutures or let me take her to the hospital, It was hard enough to get her to let me wrap her in gauze, but I did overhear her tell Fust that she needed to get to Mamma’s and based on her coloring and the dangerous feeling I got from her I made a guess and brought her here.”</p><p>Mamma nodded. “Hy,<em> und</em> Jenka both owe hyu vun,” she said, voice more serious than Zeetha was comfortable with. “Especially as most pipples vould haff left a Jäger to die… or kill dem demselfs.”</p><p>Zeetha shrugged, her fingers tapping her knee as she looked away. She understood on a certain level. The Jäger in the stories were not in any way good people. She wasn’t to righteous to think that if the Jäger had ever attacked Skifander like they had the majority of Europa she would have been as merciful. But she was also not so proud a person to not admit she had found the Jäger’s story far too familiar. “Like I told her, I’m not the kind of person to just let someone bleed out in the woods if I don’t have to.”</p><p> “Still, if dere is sumting ve kan do?” Her tone was still serious Zeetha glanced at her and then away. “Mechanicsburg repayz doze vho helps uz.”</p><p>“You could let me borrow a shirt,” Zeetha joked as she shifted again and winced at the feeling.</p><p>“Uf cawze, ve can effen get that shirt cleaned for hyu before hyu go,” Mamma smirked with a fond roll of her eyes. “Belief me, ve are <em>very</em> goot at gettink blood stains out uf clothink ven ve vant to.” Her smile dropped. “But dat isn’t vat Hy’m talkink about.”</p><p>Zeetha glanced away and worried at her lip. “I can’t think of anything,” she started slowly. “And you really don’t have to… I… Olga told me how your people aren’t allowed to return home until you find another Heterodyne… it just felt… familiar.”</p><p>Mamma examined her for a long time. Zeetha wasn’t sure what she was looking for but she found something as she stood and beckoned her to follow. She led her to a small office through another hidden door in one corner of the basement though once she was inside it didn’t feel like it was. It was warm and cozy—a small fire place on one wall, warm lights lighting the room in a comfortable glow. A desk took up one side of the room, two couches and an arm chair the other side. Bookcases and cabinets lined the walls where art that was a bit on risqué side did not.</p><p>Mamma waved her to the couches while she searched through one of her cabinets. Zeetha hovered awkwardly over it. It was a really nice couch—deep purples and greens and richly carved.</p><p>“Take your shirt off if you want, I’ll get a girl to get you a new one in a minute,” Mamma suggested as she cursed and opened another drawer. Zeetha shrugged—if Mamma was comfortable than so was she and shucked it off sighing at relief from the scratchy feeling of dried blood. She set it down—folded so the blood was to the air, and did the same with her swords before she sat down herself.</p><p>“Dere it iz, little bugger,” Mama finally cried. “Dought hyu kould hide from me, did hyu?” Zeetha watched bemused as she approached holding something in the palm of her hand. It was the size of a coin—looked like one mostly, but had a much taller embossing on it. Mamma handed it to her for her to take and she did.</p><p>The coin—or perhaps emblem—had a skull with tusks embossed on it. Zeetha recognized that symbol from the decorations above and assumed it had something to do with the Jäger.</p><p>Additionally under the skull—between the tusks was the crossed image of a syringe and scalpel, and around the edges were crisscrossed axes.</p><p>“Dat is a Jäger emblem—in particular it iz <em>my</em> Jäger emblem,” Mamma explained. “Hyu show dat to any Jäger und dey vill know hyu is a Jägerfriend—decreed by me—und vill help hyu if dey kan.”She paused and considered. “Also vill tell dem hyu are off limits for de killink but dat shouldn’t be a problem anyvays.”</p><p>Zeetha flipped the emblem through her fingers. The back had a Heterodyne trilobite and symbols she didn’t know how to read. “You’re giving me this?”</p><p>“Hy am. Hyu saffed vun uv my sisters knowink exactly vho she iz and did hyu very best to gets her here vithout drawink attention.” She smiled toothily. “My contacts sayz hyu did a very goot chob at dat too.”</p><p>“Contacts, somebody noticed.” Zeetha sulked a little. She had been all set to become a Princess Hunter before she had managed to land a position as the youngest Princess Guardian in living memory, and she’d been trained by her mother—Princess Hunter before she become Queen and her aunt, one as well. Sure sneaking through a city with a bleeding woman on her back was a bit different than stalking through the forest and grasslands of home but still…</p><p>Mamma patted her on the shoulder as Zeetha closed her hand over the emblem. “Hy said hyu did vell—dere are sum <em>very</em> goot eyes in dis city keepink watch—ve need dem to be very goot—und still sum ov dem didn’t notice hyu.”</p><p>Zeetha sighed and a little of the sudden tension fled. She needed to stop being so dumb. Of course a place like this would have specially trained people—and needing to keep extremely good watch on a town full of tourists with a past like this it just made sense. She opened her hand again and looked at the emblem. “Thank you,” she said quietly. She knew how big a deal this was—and also didn’t but she could tell it was a true honor.</p><p>Mamma’s hand dropped onto hers and when Zeetha looked up she grinned. “Additionally,” she started to Zeetha’s surprise. “Hy vill send out an order ver anyvon to send back info on Skifander if dey hear anythink.” Zeetha gapped as Mamma turned more solemn. “It vill take a lonk tim fer it to gets to everyvun—and longer fer info to get back—and hy kan’t guarantee anythink but it iz eazy think to do.”</p><p>Zeetha gaped longer. Mamma sat back and let her without judgment. She could feel her eyes grow watery and closed and rubbed at them to try and avoid tears. “That’s… That’s too much,” she finally managed bowing deeply with her fist holding the emblem close to her chest—fingers down towards her stomach<sup>1</sup>. “I’m <em>so</em> very thankful, and so very grateful but I can’t just accept that as payment…” she trailed off and looked at the emblem again. “But I suppose I can also do the same—while I’m traveling or in towns if I hear anything—rumors probally—I’ll send it to you somehow.” She smiled slightly at Mamma. “It’ll take time for me to get it back to you—and I can’t guarantee anything but…”</p><p>Mamma laughed and offered a hand. “Partner’s den?”</p><p>Zeetha grinned widened. “Yeah, partners.”</p><p> </p><p>Zeetha returned to the caravan at twilight. She was wearing a soft cotton shirt that Mamma had told her to keep and her old one in her arms clean and drying and completely blood-free. She found Olga and Yeti both in the wagon she shared with them. Yeti only groaned and turned over—hiding his eyes from the sun while Olga scowled at her.</p><p>“Where have you been,” she nagged through a hoarse voice. She was better off than most of the caravan and such had some energy. Zeetha shrugged.</p><p>“Hate to tell you, Olga, but I rather not get sick like you guys.” Memories passed through her mind of floating objects fading in and out—helplessness as people were murdered in front of her and she was ogled and deemed to exotic and pretty to kill—mind to fuzzy to think to leave a few people to interrogate—the next eight or so months of constant colds and fevers and aches and pains as her body got used to a new world with new diseases.</p><p>She’d gotten her hardiness back since then—she almost never got sick—but when she did it was always a horrible mess.</p><p>Olga huffed. “Why are you wearing a different shirt,” she demanded her noise whistling as she did so. “Found someone to tussle with?”</p><p>Zeetha shrugged and placed her former shirt into her drawer. “No. Found someone hurt in the woods and got them to help. Got some blood on me but they were nice enough to clean if for me before I left.” Olga humped and Zeetha grinned. “Sorry, you’re going to have to wait until you can set up your tent again to get any good stories apparently.”</p><p>Zeetha laughed and dodged the thrown pillow. Olga huffed and collapsed back down on to her bed. “Get me some water,” she demanded with a cough. Yeti let out a low growl that meant they needed to be quiet now or he’d find the energy to throw them both out.</p><p>“Of course, my lady,” Zeetha said with an exaggerated Europa bow, ending with a fun flourish. “Right away, my lady.”</p><p>She laughed as another pillow followed her out of the wagon.</p><p>
  
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